Cooling system for a server

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the disclosure may include a system for cooling a computer server including a plurality of server modules. The system may include a first cooling system configured to remove heat from the plurality of server modules, the first cooling system including a first plurality of conduits for circulating a first cooling medium through the first cooling system, a second cooling system configured to remove heat from the first cooling system, the second cooling system including a second plurality of conduits for circulating a second cooling medium through the second cooling system, and a manifold configured to couple the first cooling system and the second cooling system, wherein the first plurality of conduits is removably connected to the manifold.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure is related generally to systems and methods ofcooling heat generating components of a computer server or other systemsthat operate in an enclosed data processing environment, and computerservers and systems incorporating the cooling system.

BACKGROUND

Electronic systems, such as, for example, computer systems includeseveral integrated circuit (IC) devices that generate heat duringoperation. For effective operation of the computer system, thetemperature of the IC devices have to be maintained within acceptablelimits. While the problem of heat removal from IC devices is an old one,this problem has increased in recent years due to greater numbers oftransistors that are packed into a single IC device while reducing thephysical size of the device. Increasing number of transistors compactedinto a smaller area results in a greater concentration of heat that mustbe removed from that smaller area. Bundling multiple computer systemstogether, such as, for example, in a server, further aggravates the heatremoval problem by increasing the amount of heat that has to be removedfrom a relatively small area.

In a typical computer server (“server”), multiple computer servermodules (“modules”) are stacked together in a rack or a case toconsolidate network resources and minimize floor space. Modules whichare designed for use in a server configuration are typicallycharacterized by a motherboard comprising heat generating electroniccomponents (such as IC devices) housed in a modular chassis or case,which in turn is mounted together with other similar modules, in a rack,blade cabinet, blade server, or other support structure. In practice,multiple servers (each comprising several modules) are typically locatedin an enclosed space such as a server room or a data center. Duringoperation, the electronic components in the individual modules generateheat which must be removed for effective functioning of the server. FIG.1 illustrates an prior art method used to cool multiple servers (eachcontaining multiple modules) housed in an enclosed environment such as,for example, a server room. In such a prior art system, cooling fans areused circulate ambient air from the server room through the multiplemodules of a server to absorb heat therefrom. In the prior art system,cool air directed into the server room through a cold air plenum ispassed through the servers to absorb heat generated by IC devices andother heat generating components therein. After absorbing the generatedheat, the heated air is exhausted back into the server room. This heatedair is directed through a warm air plenum to a computer room airconditioning (CRAC) system to cool the air and recirculate it back tothe server room through the cold air plenum.

It is known that a large portion (greater than about 31%) of the energyconsumption of a typical server room is used in the operation of theCRAC system, and that significant energy savings and resultant greenhouse gas reduction can be achieved by improving the efficiency of theCRAC system. “Data Center Energy Characterization Study Site Report,”February 2001, available athttp://hightech.lbl.gov/documents/DATA_CENTERS/DC_Benchmarking/Data_Center_Facility1.pdf;“Energy Consumption of Information Technology Data Centers,” andreferences cited therein, Iyengar et al., December 2010, available athttp://www.electronics-cooling.com/2010/12/energy-consumption-of-information-technology-data-centers/.Improving the cooling efficiency of servers housed in a server roomthereby enables more efficient utilization and conservation of availableenergy resources, and green house gas emission reduction.

The disclosed cooling systems and methods are directed to an energyefficient approach of cooling one or more servers located in an enclosedenvironment, such as a server room.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

In one aspect, a system for cooling a computer server including aplurality of server modules is disclosed. The system may include firstcooling system configured to remove heat from the plurality of servermodules, the first cooling system including a first plurality ofconduits for circulating a first cooling medium through the firstcooling system, a second cooling system configured to remove heat fromthe first cooling system, the second cooling system including a secondplurality of conduits for circulating a second cooling medium throughthe second cooling system, and a manifold configured to couple the firstcooling system and the second cooling system, wherein the firstplurality of conduits is removably connected to the manifold.

In another aspect, a system for cooling a computer server including aplurality of server modules is disclosed. The system may include a firstcooling system configured to remove heat from the plurality of servermodules, the first cooling system including a first cooling mediumconfigured to transfer heat to a hot plate of the first cooling system,a second cooling system configured to remove heat from the first coolingsystem, the second cooling system including a second cooling mediumconfigured to transfer heat to a cooling device, and a manifoldconfigured to couple the first cooling system and the second coolingsystem, wherein the plurality of modules is removably connected to themanifold.

In yet another aspect, a system for cooling a computer server includinga plurality of server modules is disclosed. The system may include afirst cooling system configured to remove heat from the plurality ofserver modules, the first cooling system including a first plurality ofconduits for circulating a first cooling medium through the firstcooling system, a second cooling system configured to remove heat fromthe first cooling system, the second cooling system including a secondplurality of conduits for circulating a second cooling medium throughthe second cooling system, and a manifold configured to enclose at leasta portion of the first plurality of conduits and at least a portion ofthe second plurality of conduits, wherein the plurality of modules isremovably connected to the manifold.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art server room cooling system;

FIG. 2 is an illustration of an exemplary embodiment of the disclosedcooling system applied to a server module;

FIG. 3 is an illustration of an exemplary embodiment of the disclosedcooling system applied to an exemplary server unit; and

FIG. 4 is an illustration of an exemplary embodiment of the disclosedcooling system applied to multiple server units.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description illustrates the cooling system by wayof example and not by way of limitation. Although the description belowdescribes an application of a cooling system to servers housed in anenclosed environment, embodiments of the disclosed cooling systems maybe applied to cool heat generating components in any application. Forexample, embodiments of the current disclosure may be used to coolportable computers that operate while being docked to a docking station.The description enables one skilled in the art to make and use thepresent disclosure for cooling any electronic component within a consoleor a chassis.

Reference will now be made to exemplary embodiments of the invention,examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Whereverpossible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout thedrawings to refer to the same or like parts. Elements or partsdesignated using the same reference numbers in different figures performsimilar functions. Therefore, for the sake of brevity, these elementsmay not be described with reference to every figure. In the descriptionthat follows, if an element is not described with reference to a figure,the description of the element made with reference to another figureapplies.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary individual computer server unit (or amodule 10) having a modular chassis adapted for placement in a serverrack. Module 10 includes a motherboard 12 having mounted thereon (orattached thereto, such as, for example, by using a data cable) aplurality of heat generating electronic devices 14. These electronicdevices 14 may include, without limitation, any type of IC or otherdevices (such as, for example, CPUs, GPUs, memory, power supplies, diskdrives, controllers, etc.) that are found in typical computer systems.

Module 10 may also include a cooling system 20 configured to directlycool one or more electronic devices 14 of the module 10. To directlycool an electronic device 14, a cold plate 26 of the cooling system 10may be placed in thermal contact (directly in contact, or in contactthrough a heat transfer medium, such as, for example, thermal grease ora thermal pad) with the electronic device 14. Because of thermalcontact, heat may be transferred from the electronic device 14 to thecold plate 26. A coolant 22 of the cooling system 20 may pass throughthe cold plate 26 to remove heat from, and thereby cool, the electronicdevice 14. As will be described in more detail below, conduits 23 maydeliver the coolant 22 to the cold plates 26 and may couple the coolant22 to a suitable heat exchanger. In some embodiments, the cooling system20 may also include pumps or other liquid moving devices (not shown) toassist in transferring the coolant 22 to and from the cold plates 26.Alternatively, some configurations of the cooling system 20 may notinclude a pump, and instead, rely upon the expansion and contraction ofthe coolant 22 as it absorbs and dissipates heat to propel the coolant22 to and from the cold plates 26. Any liquid, such as, for example,water, alcohol, mixtures of alcohol and water, etc. may be used as thecoolant 22. It should also be appreciated that the coolant 22 mayinclude a dielectric fluid incapable of conducting electricity. Usingthe dielectric fluid may therefore prevent damage to the components ofmodule 10, including electronic devices 14, if a leak in the coolingsystem 20 were to occur in module 10. Non-limiting examples of suchdielectric fluids may include deionized water, mineral oils, andmixtures thereof. Such dielectric fluids may also be fluorescent.Although the coolant 22 is described as a liquid, in some embodiments, aphase change material may be used as the coolant 22. In theseembodiments, a coolant 22 in a liquid phase may transform to a gaseousphase after absorption of heat at the cold plates 26. The coolant 22 maytransform back to the liquid phase after transferring the absorbed heatfrom the cold plates 26. In some embodiments, valves or other knownfluid control devices (not shown) may be provided in the cooling system20 to control the flow of the coolant 22 therein. Any type of cold plate26 configured to transfer heat from the electronic device 14 to thecoolant 22 circulating within the cooling system 20 may be used as thecold plate 26. The cold plate 26 may include fins, pins, or other suchfeatures to assist in transferring the heat from the cold plate 26 tothe coolant 22. In some embodiments, devices used to transfer heat fromheat generating electronic devices to the coolant in co-assigned patentapplication Ser. Nos. 10/578,578, 11/919,974, 12/826,736, 12/914,190,and 12/914,263, with appropriate modifications, may be used as coldplate 26. These patent applications are incorporated by reference hereinin their entirety. Although FIG. 2 illustrates two electronic devices 14as being directly cooled by liquid cooling system 20, this is onlyexemplary. In general, any number of electronic devices 14 of module 10may be directly cooled by the cooling system 20 via any number of coldplates 26.

Conduits 23 may exit module 10 via one or more holes defined on thechassis of module 10. In certain embodiments, an empty PCI blind shield30 may be coupled to the chassis of the module 10 and may directconduits 23 out of module 10. Terminal ends 31 of conduits 23 may befluidly coupled to one or more fluid connectors 32. More particularly,an inlet conduit 33 configured to direct coolant 22 into module 10 andan outlet conduit 34 configured to direct coolant 22 out of module 10may be fluidly coupled to fluid connectors 32. Fluid connector 32 may beany suitable connection apparatus configured to fluidly couple conduits23 to any other appropriate fluid conduit. Fluid connectors 32 may alsobe configured to readily connect and disconnect conduits 23 to and fromany other appropriate fluid conduit. Moreover, fluid connectors 32 maybe self-sealing and may prevent fluid from conduits 23 from leaking outof connectors 32 once connected and/or disconnected to another conduit.For example, fluid connectors 32 may include any suitable quickconnectors, luer locks, and the like.

In a server application, as illustrated in FIG. 3, several servermodules 10 may be mounted on a server rack 50 positioned in a serverroom 100. The rack 50 may in turn be operably coupled to a manifold 60.The manifold 60 may include any suitable housing configured to enclose anumber of fluid conduits and components and direct fluid to a number ofcomponents inside and/or outside the manifold 60. Moreover, the manifold60 may be configured to be mounted on any suitable server rack 50. On aserver side of the manifold 60, the manifold 60 may be fluidly coupledto the modules 10, and on a heat exchanger side of the manifold 60, themanifold may be fluidly coupled to a secondary cooling system 42.Coolant 22 of the cooling systems 20 may be directed into manifold 60,cooled by the secondary cooling system 42, and returned back into themodules 10 to remove heat from the electronic devices 14.

As discussed above, modules 10 may be fluidly coupled to manifold 60.More particularly, conduits 23 may be fluidly coupled to the manifold 60via fluid connectors 32. That is, fluid connectors 32 may fluidlyconnect an inlet conduit 33 of each cooling system 20 to an outlet line61 enclosed in manifold 60, and may fluidly connect an outlet conduit 34of each cooling system 20 to an inlet line 62 enclosed in manifold 60.In certain embodiments, an extension housing 200 may be coupled to theserver rack 50 and may house the inlet conduits 33 and the outletconduits 34 of the cooling systems 20. Fluid connectors 32 may bepositioned external the extension housing 200 and may be fluidly coupledto the outlet lines 61 or the inlet lines 62 internal or external themanifold 60. In other embodiments, the extension housing 200 may beeliminated, and the manifold 60 may be directly mounted to the serverrack 50.

The inlet lines 62 enclosed in manifold 60 may deliver the coolant 22 ofthe cooling system 20 to one or more hot plates 18, and the coolant 22may become cooled thereby. The relatively cooler coolant 22 may thenflow out of the one or more hot plates 18, through the outlet lines 61enclosed in manifold 60 and the inlet conduits 33 of the cooling systems20, and back to the cold plates 26 to absorb heat produced by theelectronic devices 14. The hot plate 18 may be enclosed within themanifold 60 and may include any suitable component configured to provideheat transfer between a coolant and a heat exchange surface. Forexample, the hot plate 18 may include one or more features of the hotplate and the cold plate disclosed in co-assigned patent applicationSer. No. 13/215,384, which is incorporated by reference herein in itsentirety.

The coolant 22 may be cooled by drawing heat from the one or more hotplates 18 via the secondary cooling system 42. As illustrated in FIG. 3,the secondary cooling system 42 may circulate a thermal transfer medium43 therethrough to absorb heat from the cooling systems 20 associatedwith different modules 10, and discharge the heat removed from thesemodules 10. Any type of fluid, such as water, alcohol, mixtures thereof,a gas, etc. may be used as the thermal transfer medium 43. It is alsocontemplated that, in some embodiments, a phase change material may beused as the thermal transfer medium 43. In some embodiments, thesecondary cooling system 42 may be a closed-loop cooling system.However, it is contemplated that in other embodiments, the secondarycooling system 42 may be an open-loop system.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the secondary cooling system 42 may absorbheat from one or modules 10 positioned in the server room 100, anddischarge the heat outside the server room 100. The secondary coolingsystem 42 may include of one or more cold plate elements 41, a coolingdevice 40 disposed external to the server room 100, and conduits totransfer the thermal transfer medium 43 between the cooling device 40and the one or more cold plate elements 41. The one or more cold plateelements 41 may include any suitable component configured to provideheat transfer between a coolant and a heat exchange surface. Forexample, the one or more cold plate elements 41 may include one or morefeatures of the hot plate and the cold plate disclosed in co-assignedpatent application Ser. No. 13/215,384. The cooling device 40 mayinclude any suitable device configured to remove heat from the thermaltransfer medium 43 passing therethrough, such as, for example, anair-to-liquid heat exchanger. The one or more cold plate elements 41 andat least a portion of the conduits of the secondary cooling system 42may also be enclosed within the manifold 60, and the one or more coldplate elements 41 may be placed in thermal contact (directly in contact,or in contact through a heat transfer medium 45, such as, for example,thermal grease or a thermal pad) with the one or more hot plates 18 ofthe cooling system 20. Because of the thermal contact, heat may betransferred from the one or more hot plates 18 to the one or more coldplate elements 41. The thermal transfer medium 43 may be circulatedbetween the cooling device 40 and the one or more cold plate elements 41and may thus draw heat from the one or more hot plates 18 of the modules10 and discharge the heat external to the server room 100. In someembodiments, pumps and/or other control devices may be provided toassist in directing the thermal transfer medium 43 through the secondarycooling system 42. Transferring the heat generated by the serversoutside the server room 100 avoids heating the air in the server room100, and thus reduces the cooling load of the server room coolingsystem. It is also contemplated that the heat removed from the serverroom by thermal transfer medium 43 may be used to do useful work. Forinstance, this removed heat may be used in an HVAC system to heat abuilding.

It should be appreciated that the secondary cooling system 42 mayprovide heat transfer by non-active means. In other words, the secondarycooling system 42 does not require a source of energy or power toactively remove heat from the modules 10. Instead, for example, thecooling device 40 may be positioned outside of the server room 100 andmay cool the thermal transfer medium 43 of secondary cooling system 42by contact with ambient air. The ambient air may be, as examples, theair outside of the building in which server room 100 is located or theair inside the building but outside of the server room 100. Becauseadditional power is not required to chill the thermal transfer medium43, costs and energy savings may be gained. It should also beappreciated that one or more fans or other air moving devices may beassociated with the cooling device 40 to direct more ambient air ontothe cooling device and provide increased cooling of the thermal transfermedium 43 with minimal energy consumption. Furthermore, only theelectronic devices 14, which may include CPUs, GPUs, memories, and thelike, of modules 10 may be cooled by the disclosed cooling system. Suchelectronic devices 14 may produce the most heat in the modules 10because they consume the most power; however, such electronic device 14may still be capable of functioning at relatively high temperatures.Accordingly, ambient air may be sufficient to cool the devices 14 to asuitable functioning temperature, while simultaneously removing themajority of the heat produced in modules 10.

In certain embodiments, the fluid connectors 70, similar to the fluidconnectors 32, may be associated with the manifold 60 to fluidly couplethe one or more cold plate elements 41 enclosed within the manifold 60to the cooling device 40 outside the server room 100. In other words,the conduits of the secondary cooling system 42 providing fluidcommunication between the one or more cold plate elements 41 and thecooling device 40 may be readily connected and disconnected via thefluid connectors 70. Accordingly, the fluid connectors 70, along withthe fluid connectors 32, may allow the modules 10, the manifold 60, andthe cooling device 40 to be readily detached from each other for, asexamples, service and maintenance purposes. It should be appreciatedthat the fluid connectors 70 may be disposed within the housing of themanifold 60 or may be disposed external the housing of the manifold 60housing. In addition, because the fluid connectors 32, 70 may beself-sealing, messes and clean-ups due to fluid leakages may be reduced.Moreover, the fluid connectors 32, 70 and manifold 60 may also providequick and eased installation of the modules 10 to the cooling device 40for heat removal.

The fluid connectors 32 may also provide the ability to readily connectand disconnect individual modules 10 from the manifold 60, and thus,selectively control cooling of one or more modules 10 mounted on theserver rack 50. For example, if one or more modules 10 requires serviceand/or repair, those modules 10 may be selectively disconnected from themanifold 60, while the remaining modules 10 may be operably connected tothe manifold 60 and have their respective electronic devices 14 cooled.

Furthermore, it should be appreciated that the fluid connectors 32, 70and the manifold 60 may provide a modular mechanism for cooling themodules 10. In certain embodiments, the fluid connectors 70 may insteadbe fluidly coupled to existing facilities lines (not shown), which inturn, may direct chilled coolant to the one or more cold plate elements41. In other words, the manifold 60 may allow the modules 10 to changethe manner in which they are cooled. For example, a technician maydisconnect the fluid connectors 70 from the cooling device 40illustrated in FIG. 3 and may reconnect the fluid connectors 70 to theexisting facilities line as an alternative source for cooling.

Moreover, configuration of the manifold 60, the fluid connectors 32, andthe fluid connectors 70 may provide two separate cooling loops: acooling loop associated with the cooling systems 20 and a cooling loopassociated with the secondary cooling system 42. Separating the loops ofthe cooling systems 20 and the secondary cooling system 42 may ease themaintenance and servicing of the server. For example, if a coolant leakis detected in the server (i.e., a leak associated with the coolingsystems 20), only the coolant 22 may be removed and replaced to fix theleak, and the thermal transfer medium 43 need not be removed and/orreplaced since the cooling systems 20 and the secondary cooling system42 may be separated. Accordingly, the volume of coolant that ultimatelymay be lost and replaced may be minimized, thus reducing maintenance andservicing costs. Furthermore, it should be appreciated that since thefluid connectors 32, 70 may be self-sealing, the manifold 60 may bemanufactured and distributed with the coolant 22 and the thermaltransfer medium 43 pre-filled in the appropriate conduits within themanifold 60.

It should also be appreciated that, in certain embodiments, thesecondary cooling system 42 may be eliminated, and at least a portion ofmanifold 60 enclosing the one or more hot plates 18 may be positionedoutside of the server room 100 to draw heat away from the coolant 22.

FIG. 4 illustrates another embodiment of a server application, whereinthe server room 100 includes several server racks 50 with modules 10mounted thereon. In certain embodiments, and with reference to FIG. 3,each server rack 50 may be coupled to its own dedicated cooling device40. Separate cooling devices 40 may provide increased cooling for themodules mounted on each server rack 50, and may also ease maintenanceand service as each server rack 50 may be attended to separately if, forexample, one or more of the cooling devices 40 were to be inspected andserviced. It should be appreciated, however, that each server rack 50may be coupled to a single cooling device 40, as illustrated in FIG. 4.Utilizing a single cooling device 40 may reduce the amount of materialsand components for cooling the modules 10 and may also minimize theamount of space taken up by the cooling device 40.

In certain embodiments, it should be appreciated that one or moresecondary manifolds may be fluidly coupled to the server rack 50 and themanifold 60. In such embodiments, for example, any number of sub-racksmay be mounted to the server rack 50. Each sub-rack may include aplurality of server modules, blade servers, or the like coupled togetherand mounted to the sub-rack. A secondary manifold may be fluidly coupledto each sub-rack in a similar manner as discussed above in theembodiments of FIGS. 2-4. Coolant, such as coolant 22, may be directedfrom the manifold 60 to each of the modules of the sub-rack to cool oneor more electronic devices, such as electronic device 14. The coolantfrom each of the modules may then be delivered through the secondarymanifold, and a single line of the secondary manifold may direct thecoolant into manifold 60 for cooling. The coolant may be cooled and thenreturned to each of the modules of the sub-rack.

Because the disclosed server cooling system enables the modules 10 ofservers to be cooled without transferring heat to the server room 100,the necessity for large CRAC systems is eliminated. In addition, thecooling device 40 of the secondary cooling system 42 consumes zero tominimal power since ambient air may be employed to remove heat from thecooling device 40. Eliminating the need for large CRAC systems to coolthe server room 100 and employing ambient air to remove heat from themodules thereby greatly reduces power consumption associated withcooling the servers. This reduction in power consumption enables moreefficient utilization and conservation of available energy resources,and concomitant reduction in green house gas emissions.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made to the disclosed coolingsystems. Other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the artfrom consideration of the specification and practice of the disclosedcooling systems. It is intended that the specification and examples beconsidered as exemplary only, with a true scope being indicated by thefollowing claims and their equivalents.

1. A system for cooling a computer server including a plurality ofserver modules, the system comprising: a first cooling system configuredto remove heat from the plurality of server modules, the first coolingsystem including a first plurality of conduits for circulating a firstcooling medium through the first cooling system; a second cooling systemconfigured to remove heat from the first cooling system, the secondcooling system including a second plurality of conduits for circulatinga second cooling medium through the second cooling system; and amanifold configured to couple the first cooling system and the secondcooling system, wherein the first plurality of conduits is removablyconnected to the manifold.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein each of theserver modules includes a CPU, and the first cooling system includes acold plate in thermal contact with the CPU.
 3. The system of claim 2,wherein the first cooling system is configured to remove heat from onlythe CPU.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the first cooling systemincludes a hot plate configured to remove heat from the first coolingmedium, the second cooling system includes a cold plate elementconfigured to remove heat from the hot plate, and the hot plate and thecold plate element are enclosed by the manifold.
 5. The system of claim4, wherein the second plurality of conduits fluidly couples the coldplate element to a cooling device, the second cooling medium isconfigured to remove heat from the cold plate element, and the coolingdevice is configured to remove heat from the second cooling medium. 6.The system of claim 5, wherein the cold plate element and at least aportion of the second plurality of conduits are enclosed by themanifold.
 7. The system of claim 6, wherein the manifold is removablyconnected to the cooling device.
 8. The system of claim 7, wherein thesecond plurality of conduits is removably connected to the manifold viaat least one fluid connector, and wherein the at least one fluidconnector is configured to seal the second cooling medium from leakingout of the second plurality of conduits when disconnected from themanifold.
 9. The system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of servermodules is configured to be positioned in an enclosed room, and whereinthe cooling device is configured to be positioned external the enclosedroom and remove heat from the second cooling medium by contact withambient air.
 10. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least onefluid connector configured to removably connect the first plurality ofconduits to the manifold, wherein the at least one fluid connector isconfigured to seal the first cooling medium from leaking out of thefirst plurality of conduits when disconnected from the manifold.
 11. Asystem for cooling a computer server including a plurality of servermodules, the system comprising: a first cooling system configured toremove heat from the plurality of server modules, the first coolingsystem including a first cooling medium configured to transfer heat to ahot plate of the first cooling system; a second cooling systemconfigured to remove heat from the first cooling system, the secondcooling system including a second cooling medium configured to transferheat to a cooling device; and a manifold configured to couple the firstcooling system and the second cooling system, wherein the plurality ofmodules is removably connected to the manifold.
 12. The system of claim11, wherein each of the server modules includes a first plurality ofconduits, and wherein each of the first plurality of conduits isconfigured to circulate the first cooling medium between its respectiveserver module and the hot plate.
 13. The system of claim 12, wherein thesecond cooling system includes a cold plate element configured to removeheat from the hot plate, and wherein the hot plate, the cold plateelement, and at least a portion of each of the first plurality ofconduits are enclosed within the manifold.
 14. The system of claim 13,further comprising at least one fluid connector coupled to each of thefirst plurality of conduits, wherein the at least one fluid connector isconfigured to removably connect each module to the hot plate.
 15. Thesystem of claim 13, wherein the cold plate element is fluidly coupled tothe cooling device via a second plurality of conduits, the secondcooling medium is configured to remove heat from the cold plate element,and the cooling device is configured to remove heat from the secondcooling medium.
 16. The system of claim 15, further comprising at leastone fluid connector coupled to the second plurality of conduits, whereinthe at least one fluid connector is configured to removably connect thecold plate element to the cooling device.
 17. A system for cooling acomputer server including a plurality of server modules, the systemcomprising: a first cooling system configured to remove heat from theplurality of server modules, the first cooling system including a firstplurality of conduits for circulating a first cooling medium through thefirst cooling system; a second cooling system configured to remove heatfrom the first cooling system, the second cooling system including asecond plurality of conduits for circulating a second cooling mediumthrough the second cooling system; and a manifold configured to encloseat least a portion of the first plurality of conduits and at least aportion of the second plurality of conduits, wherein the plurality ofmodules is removably connected to the manifold.
 18. The system of claim17, wherein the first cooling system includes a hot plate configured toremove heat from the first cooling medium, and the second cooling systemincludes a cold plate element configured to remove heat from the hotplate, wherein the hot plate and the cold plate element are enclosed bythe manifold.
 19. The system of claim 18, wherein the first plurality ofconduits is configured to circulate the first cooling medium between theplurality of modules and the hot plate, and further comprising at leastone fluid connector coupled to the first plurality of conduits, whereinthe at least one fluid connector is configured to removably connect theplurality of modules to the hot plate.
 20. The system of claim 18,wherein the second plurality of conduits is configured to circulate thesecond cooling medium between the cold plate element and a coolingdevice, and further comprising at least one fluid connector coupled tothe second plurality of conduits, wherein the at least one fluidconnector is configured to removably connect the cold plate element tothe cooling device.